Themed to look like a ski mobile, the free-fall drop coaster will serve as the centerpiece of a new $13-million Polar Land themed area set to debut at the theme park in May.

The 70-foot-tall Zierer family coaster will reach a top speed of 40 mph as riders navigate high-banked turns and camelback hills while zipping past Arctic animals built with Lego bricks.

Inside the mountain, Polar X-Plorer will come to a sudden stop and the train will drop 15 feet through a simulated crack in the ice, similar to the free-fall drop on the Thirteen coaster at Alton Towers in England.

After the drop, the coaster will slow down to allow riders to view a first-of-its-kind live penguin display.

The addition of the 3-acre Polar Land-themed area marks the largest and most expensive expansion in the history of the flagship park in the Legoland chain.

Polar Land will also include a dine-with-the-penguins restaurant allowing diners up-close animal encounters.

As part of the expansion, Legoland Billund will re-theme the existing Power Builder ride as the Polar Pilot School flight simulator, allowing riders to program movements on the robotic-arm ride.

The theme park industry has seen a recent spate of Arctic-themed attractions. Ocean Park in Hong Kong plans to debut the Polar Adventure-themed land in 2012 with an Arctic Blast coaster while SeaWorld Orlando in Florida just announced plans to add an Antarctica-themed land in 2013.

Themed to look like a ski mobile, the Polar X-Plorer vertical freefall drop coaster will serve as the centerpiece of a new $13 million Polar Land themed area set to debut in May 2012 at Denmark's Legoland Billund.

Theme parks around the world are preparing a highly anticipated slate for 2012 that includes record-setting roller coasters, one-of-a-kind attractions, pulse-quickening thrill rides and family-friendly themed lands.

Let's take a closer look at the new attractions coming to theme parks around the world in 2013, including a number of new parks planned for Asia and several major attractions in the works for Europe. Here's our Top 13 for 2013:

A new indoor dark ride debuting in 2012 at Britain's Alton Towers theme park promises to be a psychologically terrifying and physically thrilling experience set in the secret underground catacomb of an alien creature.

PortAventura theme park in Spain plans to debut a record-setting $35-million mountain climbing-themed roller coaster in spring 2012 featuring a series of camelback hills, pitch-black tunnels and a water element.